Lee Min-ho is facing criticism after sharing photos of expensive birthday gifts from fans. The actor posted images of luxury presents, flowers, and balloons on social media before his 38th birthday on June 22. While some fans defended him, others called the post wasteful and outdated.
The gifts included massive bouquets, decorative balloons, and high-end branded items. Many fans expressed love and support, but critics questioned the environmental impact. Some suggested he should have encouraged donations instead.
Supporters argued that fans willingly gave the gifts out of affection. They said Lee Min-ho was simply appreciating their efforts. Critics, however, felt the post promoted unnecessary luxury and waste.
โAt the end of the day, itโs all personal choice. People just view Park Bo Gum and G-Dragon more positively for having turned down gifts. But others probably feel loved through receiving giftsโso what.โ
โActors seem to show off gifts like this a lot, but I feel like I havenโt seen it much in the idol scene lately? Idol culture used to be really big on fan-sponsored gifts, so itโs nice to see them starting to decline.โ
โIt honestly doesnโt look great. These days with all the talk about the environment, fan gifts are declining. If thereโs an article like this and he still accepts and posts gifts again next year, then clearly thatโs just his mindset as an actor.โ
โHeโs been in the industry far too long and probably earns a tonโwhy is he still receiving them?โ
โItโs just tacky nowโฆ maybe in the past fan gifts made people go โWow!โ But not anymore.โ
โBack when I used to be a fan of a certain actress, she said, โI make more money than you, so I wonโt accept gifts. Please spend that money on something better instead.โ I thought that was really cool.โ
โAt his age and level of career, why is he still accepting fan-sponsored gifts?โ
โI wish they would all stop accepting them. Once these gift displays start spreading on fan communities, comparisons begin, and fans start trying to โone-upโ each other to boost their faveโs prideโcausing this overheated competition.โ
โHonestly, he makes too much money to be accepting gifts. I agree with the comment that it feels like poor people giving offerings to the rich. It even looks like heโs expecting bigger ones next yearโjust comes off as immature.โ
โIt would be better if he didnโt post about them at all.โ
โActors make hundreds of millions when they film movies or dramas, and then they also accept gifts and flaunt them like that? Doesnโt look good, honestly.โ
Comparison With Other Celebrities
Other Korean stars have taken different approaches to fan gifts. G-Dragon donated 81.8 million KRW to the UN Refugee Agency on his birthday. Gong Hyo-jin, who worked with Lee Min-ho in When the Stars Gossip, once asked fans not to send gifts.
Actor Park Bo-gum also rejected lavish presents, saying heartfelt messages meant more. These actions have been praised as more socially responsible.
Fan Culture vs. Environmental Concerns
The debate reflects growing concerns about celebrity influence on consumption. Some argue stars should promote sustainability. Others believe fan gifts are a personal tradition that shouldnโt be criticized.
“Why is it a problem if fans genuinely want to give?”
“He simply shared their kindness โ itโs no one elseโs business.”
“He didnโt beg for gifts; heโs just sharing joy with his fans.”
This incident highlights changing expectations for celebrities. As public figures, their actions can influence fan behavior. Some fans now prefer supporting charities over buying expensive gifts.
We use cookies to enhance your experience. By consenting, you allow us to process data like Browse behavior and unique IDs. Declining may affect some site features.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
